NSA head says surveillance thwarted more than 50 attacks

Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) U.S. Army General Keith Alexander testifies before a U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on recently disclosed NSA surveillance programs, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)

NSA head says surveillance thwarted more than 50 attacks

WASHINGTON – General Keith Alexander, the director of the U.S. National Security Agency, said on Tuesday that the NSA's data gathering programs had prevented potential terrorist attacks more than 50 times since September 11, 2001.”In recent years these programs, together with other intelligence, have protected the U.S. and our allies from terrorist threats across the globe to include helping prevent … potential terrorist events over 50 times since 9/11,” he said in testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence …